Russellville City Councilman Gary Cummings will always remember his neighbor as someone who had an opinion on every topic and as someone who stood up for whatever his beliefs were.
Cummings recalled former Russellville Police Chief Donnie McGuire’s love of family and city government Tuesday, one day after the 65 year-old McGuire was found dead in his home. McGuire had suffered a series of health setbacks in recent years, but always managed to maintain an interest in what was happening in the city.
“He always had an opinion on everything,” Cummings said, “and you always knew where you stood with him. He was a good man and a good son, always taking care of his momma.”
McGuire worked for 28 years with the Russellville Police Department, after starting his law enforcement career with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
In Russellville, he worked as patrolman, investigator and was the department’s chief for 17 years.
He retired Aug. 31, 2004.
City Councilman William Nale worked with McGuire for more than 20 years and remembers him as a passionate and hands-off type of chief.
“He was good about letting his men do their jobs and watching from a distance so we didn’t feel like he was interfering with our jobs,” Nale said.
“But when he was passionate about something he jumped in and he was all for that. I remember his pet peeve was people not putting their children in car seats and he always wanted us to make sure that we enforced that.”
Nale said McGuire also implemented the Russellville Against Intoxicated Drivers, or RAID, program in 1984 to crack down on drunk drivers.
“He was good to work for,” Nale said. “The one thing he always did was to stand up for his department and you can appreciate that.”